The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1887-06-29
WHITE CAP KNIGHTS.
REGULAR BAND OF MASHED NIGI-
LANTES IN INDIANA.

Tho Law ignored by Band of Krnians
VINO Seek to Make tho Punishment Fit
the crimc--Death for Serious Offenders.
The White Caps are to Southern In
diana what the Bald Knobbers wcro to
Missouri. Not SO desperate in character
as the latter, their organization is idon-
tical and they have equally set law at
defiance.
The headquarters of tho White Caps
are in Harrison county, Indiana, but the
organization extends over into Crawford,
Jefferson and half dozen other coun-
ties in the oldest civilization of the
State.
There is not more intelligent, peace
able or orderly community in Indiana
than Harrison county Corydon, the
county scat, was the first capital OF the
State, and its courthouse, built in 1871,
was Tor four years its capitol. The
country is rich and schools and churches
abound. a branch railroad has been
built to COrydon, and it's citizens are
prominent in State and nation.
In spite of all this, the White Caps,
or "Knights OF the Switch, as they are
sometimes called, have existed for seven
teen years. The courts have been set
ut defiance, iails have been opened ana
prisoners liberated or punished. Men,
women and children have Iccn DRAGGED
out OF bed at dead OF night, and their
homes burned befo,e their eyes, while
they themselves have been whipped,
tortured with iicndish ingenuity and
made 20 flee the country.
Like the Bald Knobbcrs, the pro-
fosscd motive OF the White Caps is the
punishment of crime moro swiftly and
tittingly than can bo accomplished in
the courts. For this reason there has
been little outcry against them, and even
when public Indignation has been
aroused by some unusually fragrant act,
nothing has been accomplished.
The identity OF White Caps has been
revealed time and again, but not one has
over been brought to punishment There
have been many attempts by grand jurics
to indict the Offenders, but so far they
have been Ineffective. For years and
years hardly II circuit court is held in
Harrison county that the jury is not in
structcd to investigate some case OF re-
cent occurrence. but White CAMS arr on
the jury and i'll tho court room, and
nothing has ever been discovered il this
way.
There have been but few confessions
Of membership; but one OF these f,irn-
ishcs information OF the regular nuture
of the organization. The White Caps,
or "KniGhts "arc oruapiyed with ,,,.,,'
lar lodges There are signs, Grip, and
pass words-crude. of course. but
sufficient for the recognition OF and for
communication bctwcC members. They
meet at appointed plac, ). but not often
ut the same place, and hut seldom IN a
house. Secluded groves nre their favor
itc resorts, and here they assemble anon
notification of the leader Of the lodge.
Councils are held, expeditions dctrrm
incd upon and punishmcnts inflicted.
The sign for the assembling of these
"lodges" is the laying of crossed fence
rails in the middle OF tho road.
The earliest known band of this or
ganization was in Scott township. IInr-
rison county, seventeen wears ago.
James n. Kcan, small farmer accused
of petty thievcry, was tied to tree and
severely whipped. He was their first
victim, but cases were frequent after
that.
OF late the White Caps have been very
active The latest outbreak was in
Jefferson county, two miles from the
small village of Brooksburg. 4 band of
masked men last Friday night broke into
the farmhouse Of Stout Bronson, dragged
him from bed with his wife and child,
removed the furniture from the rooms,
burned the dwelling and quietly 0isap-
peared. Neither BrcDson nor his neigh
bors can assign any reason for the out
rage, but it is supposed the White Caps
were headed by personal enemy. That
the party was from the organization was
shown by their wearing the white masks
which have given their name.
The knights were guilty ten days ago
OF serious offence. At midnight a
band OF some twelve or fifteen white
masks visited the house of Jos. Lynch,
farmer Nho lives near Lcavonworth.